Diabetes & Children

Diabetes in children south to be type I diabetes, or if was under age 20 it was called adult-onset diabetes. According to CDC “over 186,000 people under age 20 have diabetes – both type 1 and type 2 diabetes”.The cells in a child are resistance to insulin. Therefore, glucose building up and reaching high levels that could threaten the child lives. After a while that can lead to complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, early death from complications, blood circulation and nerve damage.
Risk Factors:

  • Unhealthy eating patterns (candies, fast food, and other treats)
  • Lack of physical activity (not participating in sports)
  • Inherited tendency (family history)
  • Hormone problem or medical condition, but rarely those are causes for diabetes in children.

Specials Concerns:
  • Do not separate your child for special treatment from the rest of the family.
  • Make changes gradually (introduce new things, wait for your child to accept it and then add more healthy food or snack to the diet)
  • Increased activities (Sports, Dance and other outdoor activities)
  • If child refuses, try to find out why, do not force the new change of life style
  • Set small, step wise goals
  • Talk to a diabetes professional